This application is related to patents bearing U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,265,184 and 5,249,245, titled MOLDED WAVEGUIDE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME and OPTOELECTRONIC MOUNT INCLUDING FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME, issued on Nov. 23 and Sep. 28, 1993, respectively, which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Presently, coupling of an optical device, a waveguide, and an interconnect substrate is a difficult task that typically is achieved either manually or semiautomatically. However, these methods have several problems, such as being complex, being inefficient, and not suitable for high volume manufacturing. Since these problems limit high volume manufacturing, incorporation of optical devices with standard electronic components is a difficult task, thus not enabling advantages of optical devices to be incorporated with standard electronic components.
By way of example, conventional interconnection of an optical device and a waveguide typically is achieved by carefully aligning the optical device to the waveguide manually, commonly referred to as active alignment. Once the optical device is aligned to the waveguide, the optical device is affixed to the waveguide. However, several problems arise by aligning the optical device and the waveguide manually, such as being extremely labor intensive, being costly, and being inaccurate. Further, curing of an adhesive that affixes or binds the optical device to the waveguide often shift the alignment of the optical device to the waveguide, thereby causing inefficient transfer of light from the optical device. Moreover, if the misalignment is severe enough, unusable product is manufactured, thus increasing cost and reducing manufacturing capability.
Once the optical device and the waveguide have been aligned and affixed together, the optical device and waveguide are then mounted onto an interconnect substrate. However, mounting of the optical device and the waveguide to the interconnect substrate also has several problems, such as fragility of the fixed optical device and waveguide, alignment capability of the optical device and waveguide to the interconnect substrate, electrical coupling of the optical device, and the like, thus making the interconnection of the optical device, the waveguide, and the interconnect substrate unsuitable for high volume manufacturing.
It can readily be seen that conventional methods for interconnecting an optical device, a waveguide, and an interconnect substrate have severe limitations. Also, it is evident that conventional processes that are used to fabricate the interconnection between optical devices, waveguides, and interconnect substrates are not only complex and expensive, but nonamenable to high volume manufacturing. Therefore, an article and method for making interconnections between an optical device, a waveguide, and an interconnect substrate is highly desirable.